A) If the guy even knew what he was talking about, he'd realize Hickey wasn't eligible for the AHL this season.
B) The positive response from Seattle fans that have been posted over the years far outweigh this guy watching him three times. I saw Hickey play in three games at the World Juniors and I thought he played very well. Does that make me an expert on him?

Not to mention I am sure the guy is still pretty bummed about being in Seattle for another season. He was getting some consideration in camp and obviously had his heart set on making the club. I would most definitely rather see him in the lineup making youthful mistakes but moving the puck well and making passes then Gauthier bumping into a guy here or there and then passing the puck to one of their scorers in the middle of the ice.

I honestly hope that Hickey becomes a great player.....because if he doesn't it will be one of the worst draft selections in Kings history.....but with each passing day I get more of a Denis Grebeshkov feel about Hickey than than a Scott Neidermayer.

Ron ... take a deep breath there, I realize that you lend yourself to hyperbole but to say that it would be "one of the worst ... selections in Kings history" is a bit much even for you. Not only do defensemen take a while to develop but we have no idea how the rest of the draft is going to turn out. It takes years before a draft year can be accurately measured. Now if every other player taken in the first round turns out great then I would agree with you ... but only three players taken in the first round have even played an NHL game so far. Even if you argue that Dean shouldn't have taken a defenseman (which I would argue but I am letting it slide for the sake of this argument) every other player would have to be an absolute stud for it to be the WORST EVER. Hell, Van Riemsdyk hasn't even played an NHL game yet ... does that make him a worse pick than Hickey?

I honestly hope that Hickey becomes a great player.....because if he doesn't it will be one of the worst draft selections in Kings history.....but with each passing day I get more of a Denis Grebeshkov feel about Hickey than than a Scott Neidermayer.

Ron ... take a deep breath there, I realize that you lend yourself to hyperbole but to say that it would be "one of the worst ... selections in Kings history" is a bit much even for you. Not only do defensemen take a while to develop but we have no idea how the rest of the draft is going to turn out. It takes years before a draft year can be accurately measured. Now if every other player taken in the first round turns out great then I would agree with you ... but only three players taken in the first round have even played an NHL game so far. Even if you argue that Dean shouldn't have taken a defenseman (which I would argue but I am letting it slide for the sake of this argument) every other player would have to be an absolute stud for it to be the WORST EVER. Hell, Van Riemsdyk hasn't even played an NHL game yet ... does that make him a worse pick than Hickey?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thrice

Because you don't watch him play.

I will respond to you both with one post.....no I have not seen him play recently......but I have seen his WJC games (I was not as impressed as some of you guys obviously) and I have seen him in the preseason (also looked good, not great by any stretch of the imagination).

My main concern at this point is he is one of the oldest players in his league right now. Generally the older players can and do completely dominate the younger players.....Hickey on the other hand has actually regressed (statistically speaking....and yes I do realize that statistics are not everything!) form his previous seasons in the W. Now that may just be a little bump in the road (I hope this is the case) or it can be cause for concern that he is not developing into the player Dean had previously hoped for. One observation.....if Doughty had Hickey's spot on the same team in the same situation I would be utterly shocked if he wasn't leading all defensemen in the league in scoring by a wide margin.

And Chruceg....not that it means much.....I just wanted to let you that there are actually 7 players from the first round of the 2007 draft that have played games in the NHL.....and I believe all of them are currently on their teams' rosters.

Any defenseman proven themselves to be BETTER than Hickey from the 07 draft?

And its really easy to say that Turris is better than Hickey... but... he has mightily struggled so far. I dont know if he has proven anything more in the NHL than Hickey, which is to say that Turris has only proven that he can make the NHL. Hickey could and may have made the NHL had Doughty not been the "rookie" for the defense this year

Just because a player makes the NHL in a limited role doesnt mean that he has surpassed other draft picks...

And Chruceg....not that it means much.....I just wanted to let you that there are actually 7 players from the first round of the 2007 draft that have played games in the NHL.....and I believe all of them are currently on their teams' rosters.

And I know of at least two 2nd round picks playing in the NHL.

I see your larger point in that you're worried about Hickey not turning into a stud like we all hoped ... I was taking issue with the "worst ever" comment. I think that Hickey being the last player cut in training camp this year speaks volumes of his ability to play in the NHL. Like Kingme00's said, if not for Doughty being an absolute stud Hickey could have very well made the team this year.

As for the first round stat, I forgot that hockeydb updates monthly and just took a glance ... my bad.

And as for those two second round picks ... Who are they? I've never heard of them. (sarcasm)(smiley)

I see your larger point in that you're worried about Hickey not turning into a stud like we all hoped ... I was taking issue with the "worst ever" comment. I think that Hickey being the last player cut in training camp this year speaks volumes of his ability to play in the NHL. Like Kingme00's said, if not for Doughty being an absolute stud Hickey could have very well made the team this year.

As for the first round stat, I forgot that hockeydb updates monthly and just took a glance ... my bad.

And as for those two second round picks ... Who are they? I've never heard of them. (sarcasm)(smiley)

I used the "worst ever" statement in regards to where he was selected.......All teams have a 1st round player that is a bust.....but when it is a top 4 pick it is much, much worse.....because the team had to suffer through a horrible season in order to acquire such a pick....if it turns out that Hickey does not become a good
NHL player then it will be shades of the Aki Berg or Wayne McBean picks.....In retrospect those selections will go down in history as a bad selections considering they were both top 4 overall......I just hope that Hickey does not have a similar fate.

I used the "worst ever" statement in regards to where he was selected.......All teams have a 1st round player that is a bust.....but when it is a top 4 pick it is much, much worse.....because the team had to suffer through a horrible season in order to acquire such a pick....if it turns out that Hickey does not become a good NHL player then it will be shades of the Aki Berg or Wayne McBean picks.....In retrospect those selections will go down in history as a bad selections considering they were both top 4 overall......I just hope that Hickey does not have a similar fate.

I still don't think we can even begin to talk about "worst ever" in light of the fact that this is the Kings we are talking about. Wayne McBean is absolutely horrid they missed out on Sakic, Fleury, Leclair, Schneider, Desjardins, Cassels, Richardson to name only a few ... ye gods! And what about Craig Duncanson and Dan Gratton in '85. Back to back picks at nine and ten that yielded 45 games between the two of them. ARE YOU SERIOUS!!!?? (not directed at you Cap'n more of an expletive in general)

After looking over the draft history I don't know what's worse, those draft picks or the fact that out of the 42 drafts they have participated in they only had first round picks in 25 of them. And it's not like the Kings were good all those years, they would have had great picks! No wonder the Kings have been bad for so long.

I will respond to you both with one post.....no I have not seen him play recently......but I have seen his WJC games (I was not as impressed as some of you guys obviously) and I have seen him in the preseason (also looked good, not great by any stretch of the imagination).

My main concern at this point is he is one of the oldest players in his league right now. Generally the older players can and do completely dominate the younger players.....Hickey on the other hand has actually regressed (statistically speaking....and yes I do realize that statistics are not everything!) form his previous seasons in the W. Now that may just be a little bump in the road (I hope this is the case) or it can be cause for concern that he is not developing into the player Dean had previously hoped for. One observation.....if Doughty had Hickey's spot on the same team in the same situation I would be utterly shocked if he wasn't leading all defensemen in the league in scoring by a wide margin.

And Chruceg....not that it means much.....I just wanted to let you that there are actually 7 players from the first round of the 2007 draft that have played games in the NHL.....and I believe all of them are currently on their teams' rosters.

Pay special attention to what Team WHL Head Coach Will Desjardins says about Thomas Hickey.

Game 2 takes place tonight.

Hopefully this post shuts down the Hickey doubters. The higher the skill set the easier it is to play with. Hickey may not have the same kind of players at Seattle that think the game as fast as he does. Points mean nothing regardless of his age. We all know the history of the draft and players that score in the bunches don't always translate to the NHL. Bottom line for me is that he will be an NHL player without a doubt. Every goal had him in it! Not to mention the only player that got a word from his coach was Hickey.
Barker also got this kind of heat the last few years and he's rounding out to be pretty good.
Our prospects are insanely good! Hopefully we start turning the corner.